Photorealistic – Natural adventures

6929. St Werburghs tunnel (497)

I often comment about artists who paint in a particular style, and ask myself whether they could do something completely different, marking them out as a versatile artist. Well, Bean has gone the full mile with this portrait piece that couldn’t be further removed from his usual cartoon characters.

I have to say I was quite flabbergasted when I saw this, and admire Bean even more than I did before. I knew he was clearly very talented, but this portrait takes my view of him to another level. I hope he will be painting in Bristol more over the Summer months, and will wait to see what other hidden talents he has in his locker.

6818. St Werburghs tunnel (486)

Badger Feral and Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

This slightly unusual collaboration from Badger Feral and Stivs has been turning a few heads, and not surprisingly, as it is rather striking. While I am very familiar with Stivs’ work, I believe this is the first piece I have come across by Badger Feral.

Badger Feral, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Starting with the Badger Feral piece, we are presented with a portrait of a hooded woman, with red hair and gold earrings. Her blue eyes are matched by the hood around her head. The portrait has a slightly darker side, with an inverted cross on the woman’s forehead, and her hood is suspended by a line of little skulls. Lots to take in here, and plenty of symbolism too.

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Stivs on the other hand has painted a portrait of a jolly fellow wearing a cap. I don’t know who the character is, but there might be a clue in the ‘Jim Bitch’ that accompanies the piece. Stivs has painted the portrait in a photorealistic style, and it looks like, from subsequent pieces, that he is rather enjoying portrait work at the moment. There is so much to take in from this ever so slightly weird collaboration.

6805. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

Ooh! How brilliant to see Mind 49 returning to the streets after a relatively quiet start to the year. Commensurate with his last piece at the Greenbank spot in January, Mind 49 has combined a photorealistic portrait with a cartoon illustration, carrying some threat and menace.

The portrait is superb, painted in his unique style that creates what I would term a blurred photorealism, rather than some of the perfect sharp pieces that you see from time to time. The cartoon parts begin around the main character’s neck and show him holding a pistol. In the background, a hooded character looks on. I love the way that Mind 49 brings these two very different styles together and makes them sit side by side effortlessly. Looking forward to more as the days get longer and weather warms up.

3993. Picton Lane (11)

Kosc really is an extraordinary talent, especially as, under a different name, he is a graffiti writer with an utterly different style. Pieces like this are serious business for Kosc who is fine-tuning his skills for these photorealistic portraits and writing.

Picton Lane is a wonderful Bristol backstreet in Montpelier that plays host to some classic pieces, of which this is one. I remember seeing it as a work in progress a long time ago, but didn’t get back until quite recently to enjoy it as a finished piece. I am full of admiration for the piece. It is so good, and I am not sure that I would be doing it justice by waffling on like I usually do, and I am doing right now.

Kosc has reached a new level this year, and it is difficult to know how much higher he can take it. I wonder whether he should do a street art festival circuit to get better known outside Bristol, but that takes a lot of commitment. This black and white face is just awesome.

The tiniest tinge of colour is provided by the magpie’s tail, but it is enough to lift the whole piece just that little bit more. It is Kosc’s attention to detail that makes this piece sing. An absolute beauty.

2702. Nomadic Community Garden, London (3)

The Nomadic Community Garden just off Brick Lane is an extraordinary place. A labyrinth of sheds and raised beds made from old railway sleepers. It is kind of untidy but un an organised way. At the far end of the garden is a large wall and it is covered in ‘high-end’ pieces from established artists.

Irony, Nomadic Community Garden, London, November 2018

I think I read somewhere that the garden was being cleared out. I’m not sure if this is the case, but it would be a pity. Cities need these eccentric spaces, without them we are all impoverished.

This fabulous piece is by Irony, whose work really is unparalleled. The mural was painted as part of the Meeting of Styles street art festival in May 2018. So, so cool.

2643. Cheltenham 2018 (9)

When they (whoever they are) created Irony, they certainly bundled up an enormous amount of talent into one person. This magnificent portrait piece was painted by Irony for the Cheltenham Paint Festival in 2018, but luckily for everyone who lives in or visits the town, it is still there for all to see.

Irony, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

I had seen this piece many times on Instagram, but to see it ‘in the flesh; is another experience altogether. It is breathtaking. I don’t know the backstory to this piece, if even there is one, but it really is special.

It is a pity that we don’t get to see much of Irony’s work here in the West of England, but I guess we have Upfest and the Cheltenham Paint Festival to lure him out of London from time to time.

2360. Leake Street tunnel, London (7)

I have to say that this is a slightly baffling piece by Gustavo Nenao in Leake Street tunnel. It is a photorealistic portrait of Nelson Mandela wearing a not very photorealistic party hat with Happy Birthday written on it. While the subject matter is certainly curious, the execution is perfect, especially as the portrait is in black and whiite, with so many shades in it.

Gustavo Nenao, Leake Street, London, July 2019

I am guessing it was done as a birthday tribute to the great man himself, but can’t be sure, and hey – I was in London which is way outside my normal stamping ground and I feel no pressure to know anything about anything on the street scene there. I come as a tourist, just like everyone else. A querky and excellent piece.

1811. Upfest 2018 (71)

Well this is an absolute stunner, make no mistake. A few days in the making, and the scaffolding hiding the true genius of both the piece and subject, this must be one of the highlights of Upfest 2018.

It is a strange thing as a writer and observer of street art, that I am really only familiar with Bristol street artists or artists who frequently visit Bristol. I really don’t know very much about the world circuit of famous artists that travel the globe for festivals and commissions – this leaves me looking a bit daft when writing up pieces like this one because I simply don’t know the artist Arcy at all.

One thing is for sure though I will certainly be looking out for his stuff on the Interweb from now on, as this is such an outstanding work by a truly gifted artist. His website is well worth a look, and his biography is here. Also check out his gallery of walls…this guy is good.

Of course, the picture is of one of the greatest and most influential people of our time, Stephen Hawking, who sadly died in March this year aged 76. I think that this piece really captures the spirit of Stephen Hawking brilliantly, the bright and slightly cheeky personality. This is photorealistic art at its best. Bravo!

1715. Upfest 2018 (40)

This is an outstanding large mural by Sicilian duo Rosk and Loste and one of the finest of the larger pieces at this year’s festival. Unfortunately I am unable to tell you anything more about the artists, because I can’t find anything about them on the Interweb.

Rosk and Lost, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018 — Rosk and Loste, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This massive wall is slightly set apart from the main concentration of Upfest artwork, and probably receives fewer visitors during the festival weekend which is highly unfortunate, because this piece is really impressive.

I didn’t actually get to see it until a few weeks after Upfest, because it is in a part of town I rarely visit and I had to wait until I was passing by to get these pictures. The photorealistic style is so impressive as is the scale. Worth the journey.

1708. Upfest 2018 (33)

This is a magnificent new wall for Upfest 2018, just off East Street and pretty much perfect for large ‘permanent’ pieces by some well known artists. First up is this magnificent portrait by Koeone.

I am not sure I have come across the artist before, which is a bit of a surprise because he lives and works in North Devon, not a million miles from Bristol. This is typical of his work which features greyscale photorealistic portraits of women with pink and blue lettering and icons on the top of the head.

The final product is really classy and all the better coming from a self-taught artist. Koeone shares this wall with Nol, Hull Graffiti, and Voyder amongst others. Real high quality stuff. Definitely worth a visit.

Nice drips!

	skat on Sentencing
	Sheree on 7360. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Bill Bisgood on 7360. St Werburghs tunnel…
	hitandrun1964 on Sentencing
	Sheree on 7358. M32 Spot (211)

	skat on Sentencing
	Sheree on 7360. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Bill Bisgood on 7360. St Werburghs tunnel…
	hitandrun1964 on Sentencing
	Sheree on 7358. M32 Spot (211)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: